Last Climbing Day of Year: December 1 2019

Last day of climbing for the year FOR SURE! I headed to Art’s yesterday morning and got there about 8:30am. We loaded up his truck and headed up the mountain. The clouds had moved in a bit and it was chilly but still nice day. We stopped at my tree and I tacked my plaque to it. I stood on the back of the truck and placed it about 10 feet up so that in Winter when there is feet of snow there it will still be visible.

We parked at the dead end of the road and hiked to the new canyon. The hike is super mellow and actually shorter than our hike to Reticent wall. Along the trail we strung tagging ribbon to mark the trail. Next year we will have it cleared and dialed.

The canyon is INCREDIBLE!!!!! It has up to 140 foot tall walls on the north side and about 100 foot tall on the south side. We have counted at least 30 routes in the little gorge with a ton of bouldering problems all through out.

Not long after we dropped out packs we saw the first snow flakes fall. It only got heavier as the day went on. We hiked and climbed down into the bottom then around the whole area. We got a good look at the walls from all angles and the pictures just don’t do this amazing place justice.

After climbing up the hillside back to our packs I pulled out the drill and we knocked in 2 bolts for a top anchor. We fixed the rope and I rappelled down the wall about 40 feet to a prominent little ledge. On the edge of the ledge I drilled and placed 1 bolt to start our anchor. The single bolt will be 3 next year which will allow us to work 2 different routes. One route is an amazing looking crack that climbs up a dead vertical face on one side of the arete. Then the arete is an overhanging, DAMN HARD looking route that will be a bunch of left hand side pulls and right hand on the arete edge. It starts vert and then then looks like a wave.

The snow did have a good side. When looking at the walls that are less than vertical the light snow lands on all the potential holds and piles up. It is the most amazing opportunity to see just how featured a rock is.

We gave up after getting the bolts drilled as the snow just kept getting heavier. After hiking out and starting to drive out we stopped at the deer camp and I cut up another stack of maple branches to have for more mushrooms. We made it back to his place with it still snowing and I took off pretty quick. The drive home was a bit nerve wracking and I ended up dinking my car from sliding off the road on a hard 90 degree corner before driving back onto the road, sliding across and swiping some wood fence posts, then making it around the next hard 90 corner. I was only 3/4 mile from home so the walk would have been short if I got stuck.

Pretty damn good last day of climbing for 2019!

Daily Activity, Hiking, Walking